New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-07-04
ANOTHER DOWNTOWN FIRE
10 PREBLE 4 CO. SUFFER A BIG Loss.

PAPER STOCK AND MACHINERY VALUED AT $500.
600 BuRNED-INADEQUATE WATER SUPPLY
Tho dry goods district, with it's hundred Of mill
ions Of dollars Of property, have been the
peculiar prey Of disastrous fires during the last few
hours Yesterday morning about o'clock when
the fremen were trying ty get little after the
exhausting battles with fires Of Saturday, all tho
downtown companies were hustled out by third
alarm signal from Broadway and Whitc-st. The
fire was in the building occupied by J. Q. Preble &
Co. as an envelope factory and book bindery II
had got . good headway before it was discovered.
and before line of hose could be stretched. smoke
was pouring from every window in the big build
ing. The structure IL an old fashioned brick affair."
five stories high the east side of Cortlandt Alley
aud extends from White-st. to Frankin-st. about
$50 feet. The number Is ~ on White and 90 on
Franklin st& Preble & Co. also occupied the build
ing adjoining, No. "a Frankln-st, which rms
about two-thirds Of the way to White-st. party
wall opened on each floor in several places united
the two buildings. The passage ways were pro-
teoted by iron doors
The fire broke out in the enRine-room. The fires
in the boiler had been attended to 40 usual on Sat-
urday night and were dead st the time the flames
In tho building were first seen by private watch
manin the neighborhood and could not have had any
thing to do with setting the place fire. No one
cold have started the blaze unless it be the sponta-
neous combustion of some oil waste or paper.
1t was hard fire to handle as the bulk Of it at
first was IN the narrow Cortlandt Alley and tho
heat was so intense and the smoke 80 dense that
one could live there Streams from the water-tower.
which was located IN Frankn-st., and from several
lines of hose poured into the building at both
ends. They were such streams however, as might
be thrown by old time, wornOut "dOuble-ender,"
and had effect the flames. which burst through
the windows in lively manner and made play for
the neghboring buildings Chief Shay looked with
disgust on the feeble spouts of water coming from
inadequate water supply. Many of the fremen
were worn out with the work of the previous
twentyfour hours. and III their enfeebled condition
usual manner. They were willing to work, but had
but little water to work with.
Clouds Of smoke that seemed in density almost
solid swept into the street, and when little blast
of wtnd would carry It away firemen could be
seen lying on the ground or olinging to poles aud
After their lungs had been cleared Of the choking
vapor they went into the smoke again and fought
as manfully as they could under the discouraging
circumstances After awhile there was q better
supply Of water aud more vigor was thrown into
the combat and the fremens work be gan TO tell
There was 80 much fire In the building when the
effective work. that there was no hope of saving
the structure and Its contents, and the efforts Of
the men under Chief Shays direction, were directed
to keeping the flames from spreading to the valu-
able business houses on all sides
The stock IN the burning building was an exceed.
ingly cOmbustible One The cellar aud two lower
floors were filled so full of paper and leather that
there was hardly room enough to move around and
the flames roared through this material IL de-
lighted to find such excellent stuff TO feed a merry
blaze. The three upper stories contained the ma
chinery for making envelopes and binding books,
and the old floors were saturated with the sccumu-
lated grease of years. which aided the fire greatly
in its march to the roof. After two hours of hard
work the progress of the flames IS checked aDi
this result was aided in q large measure bv
the nearly total destruction of everything
that would burn. Several streams were thrown
from hose lines which were run through Sweetser.
Pembroke g. Co.'s drygoods store at Broadway and
White-st aud after the heavy iron shutters had
been broken open they did effective service. That
the fire would spread to the adjoining property was
thought to be certainty at first by Chief shay.
but the fortunate Improvement OF the water
supply enabled tie firemen to prevent It,
The building from cellar TO roof was swept by the
flames, and although all danger Of its spreading
was over at a. m. the stock in the lower floor.
engines were kept playing there until evening: Tho
firm of Preble & Co. Is one of the Oldest and bese
known iD its line of business in the country. The
demand for envelopes became so great that recently
new machinery put In, which increased the
capacity to 750 900 per day. The firm was hard at
work in getting goods ready for the fall trade and
had about 800 wOrkmen. Much of the machinery
that enough can be utilized so that the loss will not
be over $4,000. The building was damaged to tho
extent of about $4,000. and it is estimated that
loss on stock will slightly exceed 81 ,OOO making
o total loss of about 100000, which Is said to DO
fully covered by insurance.